It’s been said that if you want to make a Christian feel guilty, ask about his prayer life. Many of us struggle with finding time to pray, wondering if we are praying enough and sometimes it’s just difficult talking to someone you can’t see. In his latest book, the Prayer that Turned the World Upside Down, Dr. Al Mohler takes up the request once asked of Jesus, “Teach us to pray.”

Jesus’ response to that question is what we know refer to as the Lord’s Prayer. Maybe you remember reciting it as a child or something you often repeated in church. As familiar as it is, how many of us have really thought through this crucially important lesson on prayer? This book helps us do just that. Dr. Mohler takes us through the prayer line by line giving an in-depth exegesis of the text that grounds us in sound theology yet leaves us with practical application we can put to use in our own lives.

I, personally, found the book to be quite interesting and challenging. I especially appreciated the author’s emphasis on corporate prayer. So often I fellow believers who believe that all prayer should take place in secret, confined to a closet as Jesus taught at one point. But throughout the Lord’s prayer, it is plural pronouns that are used. In other words, at least some prayer was meant to be corporate, in public. That’s just one insight of the many found in these pages.

Here’s a few quotes I found edifying:

“When we pray, we convey our entire theological system. Our theology us never so clearly displayed before our own eyes and before the world as in our prayers.” – page 10

“God uses prayer to radically reorient our hearts, which can be disturbing. Prayer can sometimes be ‘anti-therapy.’ This is because prayer is not first and foremost about us, but about the glory of God.” – page 15

“Prayer is not our bargaining chip with a reluctant genie. It is our opportunity to commune with the Creator and Redeemer who loves us.” – page 17

“Jesus is reminding us that when we enter into a relationship with God, we enter into a relationship with his people. When we are saved by Christ, we are saved into his body, the church.” – page 48

“This is why Jesus regularly referred to himself a the ‘bread of life,’ the true manna sent from heaven (John 6:35). He is God’s ultimate provision for our spiritual lives. Each day as we pray for our daily bread, we should be reminded of our need for Christ to forgive our sins and empower us for obedience. Each time we pray for daily bread, we should recognize our deeper need for the bread of life – the only one who can truly satisfy.” – page 118

“The Bible does not teach that God helps those who help themselves; instead, God helps those who are at the end of themselves.” – page 148